I have had stomach problems for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, I actually almost choked to death because something I was swallowing met up with some acid that was coming back up and I couldn't breath. Since going veg and eliminating fried foods, I have actually been much better and have had very few bouts of reflux but still suffer from gastritis. I have been on medication for over a year and, while I did improve for some time, I now feel bad again and constantly have a nasty taste in my mouth from all of the junk going on in my belly and have had little success in finding foods that I can actually eat even on my medications (my ultimate goal is to be off the meds).

I recently found out that my gastroenterologist is retiring and I can't stand any of the other doctors in the practice. I can get my meds from my primary doctor so that isn't the problem but would like to heal my belly through diet, etc. so I can stop taking them. I mentioned this to my chiropractor/nutritionist/homeopath and, unfortunately for me, I discovered that she is not in favor of a vegetarian/vegan diet and I feel like she is going to pressure me into eating at least chicken (she isn't a fan of beef/pork) which I really do not want to do. She feels that I am not getting enough protein which the body needs to heal itself (which may be a possibility but doesn't mean I need to eat a chicken).

Does anyone have any ideas on where I can get information on fixing my upset belly since medicine obviously isn't working here and I would really rather not go back to a non-veg diet? At this point, I would be willing to try almost anything because I am just miserable the way I am now.

mollyjade - Unfortunately, I didn't receive the letter until he was already gone. I have a feeling that he was forced out of the practice because of his age (I think he was close to 80) even though he was a great doctor and definitely knew what he was doing.

Do you know what is causing your gastritis (beyond food, or is it simply food?)? Did you have an endoscopy or some other procedure to look inside? Chronic gastritis can be due to gluten intolerance, so as far as foods you could try giving up it up. The inflammation would probably not be isolated to the stomach, but would be in the duendom as well. So, if you've gotten them looked at and your duendom is not inflamed eliminating gluten might not be useful--just difficult and potentially stressful.

I've had (and still have) chronic gastritis due to Crohns disease for the last 6 years. Don't eat foods that feel like the digest slowly and will hang out in your stomach. No more big meals or large gulps of water. I haven't been able to get off my meds for about a year (40mg/ day of omeprazole) because I have a few ulcers that WILL NOT heal due to the Crohns. But before that when my Crohns was less intense I did find relief from a VERY strict diet. Straying from it would end up in days of pain because the inflammation would come back, and I'd have to wait for it to go away before the pain would. It is very important to stick to your diet once you find what bothers you.

Basically diet should be easy to digest try to eliminate corn (especially popcorn), things that have seeds or tough skins (tomatoes, cucumbers, actual seeds, etc.), high fat (regardless of good fats), a lot of protein at once (I don't eat seitan or tofu since they are basically solid blocks of protein, instead opt for grains), no caffeine (teas, coffee, chocolate, etc.). These are just general things other people might have difficulty with other things, like I also didn't eat wheat, bananas, and potatoes--the last two seem out of place but they cause me a lot of problems. I also have trouble with nutritional yeast, pepper (actual peppers like bell, as well as black pepper), hot or cold drinks, lots of sugars (good or bad), onions and garlic.

My diet was really strict and basically consisted of sweet potatoes, chickpea flour pancakes, some fruit and veg, and brown rice. That was what worked for me (all past tense, I could not stick to it and since I am heavily medicated right now I've eased up). I *might* have been to strict on myself, but I didn't want to risk the pain to come back (I was vomiting, couldn't sleep, and overall miserable). I would ease into a diet like I've described just so you don't have to give up a bunch of food that isn't actually causing you problems.

Marid - Thanks for the tips! I did have an endoscopy and there was nothing there just the gastritis. I felt great as soon as they put me on the medicine but have been feeling worse the past few months. At this point, I feel like just getting up in the morning upsets my stomach!

I don't know if I can eat such a restricted diet as you did but am willing to try almost anything at this point. Funny that you mention bananas being a weird thing to avoid because they have always bothered me, too. Cucumbers kill me as well.

We are going on vacation soon and, for some reason, when I am away I actually seem to feel better. I think it is the more relaxed pace as well as being able to eat meals at regular times including having breakfast shortly after waking up. When we get back, I will start by eliminating some things I know bother me and then try keeping track of what seems to aggravate the condition. Hopefully, I can get this under control and then gradually add some foods back into my diet.

I'm currently trying to manage gastritis and cyclical nausea and vomiting syndrome, as well as a perma-screwed GI track from multiple abdominal/intestinal infections (appendicitis, periotinits, c-diff twice - all the above listed problems are from that list of ailments).

I went to a naturopath at some point who said I'd never feel better until I started eating animals again, because O blood types had to eat animals. Needless to say I never went back.

Right now I'm on 150mg Zantac 2x/day, which overall manages the pain from the gastritis. I have other issues so it's hard to tell what is coming from where. My gastro suggested I cut down the amount of carbs I eat for a few weeks, which is hard because carbs are soothing to my belly. Other than that, I avoid trigger foods - onions, raw garlic, anything too acidic, high fat, fried foods - and avoid eating large meals, and it seems to help somewhat.

rabidchild - I am sorry that you have had such stomach issues but glad that medicine seems to be helping. I appreciate the advice and will definitely try to determine exactly what my trigger foods are and eliminate them from my diet. I would have a problem eliminating the carbs as well because they seem to soothe my belly, too. Most of the time when I know that I have to eat something but the thought of doing so makes me want to hurl, the only thing I can think of that will go down is a carb of some sort.

One of the main problems I have with this whole issue is that many of the foods that bother me are foods that are good for you and it really seems unfair that I have to eliminate them from my diet. It really bothers me when I think of all of the people out there who eat nothing but crepe all the time and have no stomach problems whatsoever!

I am so glad I found this thread, if only to take comfort in knowing there are others out there. Right now, I'm in the middle of a gastritis vs gallstones debate, and won't find out until monday hopefully, when the results of my ultrasound are in. I had gastritis confirmed by an egd 2 years ago, and I don't remember feeling this ill. Right now I'm living on poweraid, brown rice bread and peanut butter. I've been on ranitidine 300 mgs/twice daily ever since my last bout of gastritis 2 years ago. I'm taking zofran for nausea, and they just started me on prilosec 20 mgs/twice day. The prilosec has helped a teeny bit. But I still feel horrible.

I went to a naturopath at some point who said I'd never feel better until I started eating animals again, because O blood types had to eat animals. Needless to say I never went back.

Sorry but I think that is BS. I am blood type 0 and used to follow that diet. I had horrible gastritis even sent me to the emergency room once. I have never taken meds for it but have had it a few times. I find most lettuce will trigger it. I am very careful about how I react to food. I can eat iceberg so have a salad every night. Sometimes I think it is the sprays that causes it. The trip to the emergency room was over a watermelon I ate. I also think I have a hernia. Anyway I am 100% better and rarely have a reaction the reason I believe is Dr. McDougall's plant based diet. I agree completely with the gluten intolerance because their are many people who react to gluten. This is something I gave up as well. I think you just have to figure out your own body and keep a journal to see how you are reacting. Gastritis is so very painful. Tomato sauce gives me acid reflux almost always but I can eat fresh tomatoes with no problem. Good luck to you because it is a real learning experience.

Sorry to bump a thread, but I was just told yesterday that I have Gastritis and I was prescribed Prilosec. The thought of taking a medicine instead of managing is a little irritating because I know it's not a good thing in the long-term. For the sake of getting started on treatment and listening to my doctor for once, I am taking them, with caution, and seeking a second opinion by an actual GI. I was diagnosed by an Internist. Since I have no concept of disease management, this will be my first experience with it and if the other doctor confirms what my Primary said then I will ask him about working on my diet to prevent attacks.

Honestly, I'll be relieved if this treatment works. In high school this was the source of many arguments for my mother and I, and resulted in a string of doctor visits to a doctor who hated my sore, swollen, nauseous guts by the end.

I don't know who to talk to about this! I have no close female friends and I'm not sure I want to bring it up to my boyfriend.

I just bled between my cycle. I've had a dull stomach ache all day and had a green tea latte after eating some soup before as lunch. I'm pretty sure it's related to my gastritis. Is this common? I will make an appointment with my doc as soon as the holiday is over, but chances are my new school schedule will interfere and I won't be able to go until Friday. Not going to FREAK OUT, but kinda freakin' out.

Where did the blood come from? If it is at all associated with your stools or intestines, GO TO THE ER.

This means you have some internal bleeding. You do not mess around with this.

I repeat, if you see blood in stools, GO TO THE ER.

I was admitted to the hospital for this last year.

I hope you are feeling ok! I don't mean to sound alarmist.

Apparently, bleeding is a symptom of gastritis but I am not a doctor. Did your doctor talk to you about what sort of symptoms you could expect?

Medication for a chronic medical condition is appropriate and part of managing your condition. Contrary to what you hear in the quackery of chiropractors/nutritionists/homeopaths, food is not a magical cure-all and sometimes you need to take medication. IJDI might have better resources or suggestions but a registered dietician (not a nutritionist) might be able to help design a diet that will be healthy and will avoid trigger foods.

_________________A whole lot of access and privilege goes into being sanctimonious pricks J-DubDessert is currently a big bowl of sanctimonious, passive aggressive vegan enduced boak. FezzaYou people are way less funny than Pandacookie. Sucks to be you.-interrobang?!

I would be terrified if it were not for the word 'stool' being used in your post, Lava! Phew. It was when I peed. I just know that blood out of cycle isn't normal, and I kinda flipped. I don't know who to consult about my medication, but I really would prefer not to, despite the reality that yes, sometimes medication is the only way. I just haven't been told if it was solely treatable with meds or if it is stress induced. Guess I'll be paying a visit to the GI this week, too.

Fauxfrancais, is the blood in your urine or is it menstrual blood? If there's blood in your urine, you really need to see a doctor asap! It could be a kidney stone or a serious UTI, neither of which you want to mess around with. If it's menstrual blood, it could be a number of things, but I wouldn't panic about it - anything from stress to hormonal changes can cause it - but I would definitely ask your doctor about it.

If you saw the blood when peeing, it very likely is not related to your gastritis, as your intestinal tract is not connected to either your urinary tract or your reproductive organs.

_________________Ain't no guarantees in life, and nothing that comes out of my vagina can change that. - Erika Soyf*cker

I would be terrified if it were not for the word 'stool' being used in your post, Lava! Phew. It was when I peed. I just know that blood out of cycle isn't normal, and I kinda flipped. I don't know who to consult about my medication, but I really would prefer not to, despite the reality that yes, sometimes medication is the only way. I just haven't been told if it was solely treatable with meds or if it is stress induced. Guess I'll be paying a visit to the GI this week, too.

Even if it is stress-induced, using medication to feel better enough that you actually can reduce your stress levels might be a good idea. Chronic pain and discomfort do a number on you and needing help to deal with it is okay!

And I agree with others, if the blood is coming from your urethra go to the doctor. If it's a bit of spotting from your vagina it can probably wait--sometimes bleeding between periods happens.

_________________"I'd rather have dried catshit! I'd rather have astroturf! I'd rather have an igloo!"~Isa

"But really, anyone willing to dangle their baby in front of a crocodile is A-OK in my book."~SSD